


Stay away from that train wreck

by Zatt



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: I love Ian Mickey and Lip together but in that ep Mickey had to ruin it and go fuck Angie, Ian loves Mickey, Lip is protective of Ian, M/M, Mickey is my hero, Mickey loves Ian (yes you do you beautiful thug), brother bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2013-12-26
Packaged: 2018-01-06 05:33:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1103008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zatt/pseuds/Zatt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lip doesn't like Mickey but Ian does. A lot. Their different opinions on Mickey has caused the brothers to stop talking to each other. Lip is at MIT. Ian has moved away from home and so has Mickey.<br/>Sets after 3x12</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Lip sat on his bed in the small dorm room trying to focus and study for the upcoming math test. He’d flunked on the last one and had no intention of messing up again. Apparently they meant business here at MIT and Lip knew he’d to really apply himself. He tried to focus on the maths textbook resting on his lap but his thoughts wandered. A lot had happened this last year. Lip clearly remembered when Ian went away one day only to call Fiona four days later telling her he’d gotten busted for trying to enlist under a false identity. Lip’s identity. 

It had come as a complete shock for Lip. He’d never thought Ian would do something like that. When the initial shock had subsided Lip got angry as hell. He’d never been that angry at Ian before. Ian had gambled with Lip’s chance at going to MIT and worse still, he’d royally fucked up his own future. Ian had gotten away with a month in juvie and a ban on enlisting or working within anything army related. 

When Ian eventually went home to the Gallagher family after doing his time in juvie (he’d refused to get visitors there) they received a shadow of his former being. He’d lost weight, his eyes looked almost life less and he barely said a word the first week at home. Lip felt worried and helpless. He realised that he wasn’t angry at Ian anymore. He was worried about him and he was furious with Mickey for messing with his brother. Lip had seen how upset Ian had been at Mickey’s wedding. He was convinced Ian wouldn’t have made that huge mistake of leaving if it wasn’t for Mickey. Fiona had also been worried about Ian, worried he was more depressed than she’d realised. She tried to talk to him but got nowhere. Ian just said that he was “fine” whenever she asked. Eventually Fiona asked Lip for help. He went up to Ian where he lay in bed. Lip remembered the conversation like it had happened yesterday. 

“I had to get away.” Ian said in a tired voice.

“From Mickey you mean?” Lip felt his fists clenching from just mentioning the name. He was completely done with the Milkovich family. Mandy and he had broken up only a week ago. He was both sad and relieved about that. Mostly relieved though. The Milkoviches only meant trouble.

Ian said nothing, he just closed his eyes for a moment. 

“Ian, I’ve said this before. That train wreck of a person isn’t worth your time. You should just stay away from him.” Lip was speaking louder now. “Would you’ve ran away like that if he hadn’t gotten married?”

“I don’t know Lip. Can you please forgive me for trying to enlist in your name? I feel like shit.” Ian rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. He looked pale.

“I’ve already forgiven you about that Ian. Don’t worry. I just want my brother back. If that means killing Mickey I would happily do that” Lip realised while he said it that he was dead serious.

“Thanks but I don’t think that would solve anything” Ian smiled a little. It was the first smile Lip had seen since Ian came back home and he felt somewhat relieved. 

“Fiona is making dinner. Why don’t you come downstairs for a bit?” Lip could hear in his voice that he was pleading.

Ian nodded and stood up. 

Things went on almost like normal for a while. Well, as normal as living in the Gallagher house could be at least. Fiona was seeing some Mike guy from work. Lip wasn’t sure what to think of him. The kids seemed to like him though and Lip had to admit that Mike was good with them. Ian had gotten his old job back at the Kash and Grab. He was gone from home a lot even when he wasn’t working. Lip had no idea where he went. Ian just answered with “out” when Lip asked him where he’d been. 

Lip hadn’t seen Mandy, Mickey or his wife for almost three months. Not that he was complaining but he wondered what he would do if he ever got hold of Mickey. Probably not as much as he wished he would do. Frustratingly enough, Lip felt somewhat intimidated by Mickey and wanted as little as possible to do with him. You could say that Mickey was the last person Lip would like to encounter in a dark ally, despite Mickey’s small frame. There was just something about him that Lip couldn’t read and it was impossible to understand what Ian had ever seen in Mickey.

Lip had been in contact with MIT and apparently he still had a shot at going there. Lip thought about it for two seconds and the next thing he knew he had booked the plane ticket. Three days before going to MIT he’d walked around a corner about two blocks away from home and saw Mickey leaning against a wall on the far end. Lip had stopped in his tracks when he saw Ian walking towards Mickey. Mickey had flipped his cigarette away and smiled at Ian. 

Lip wasn’t sure what confused him the most – seeing Ian and Mickey together again or seeing Mickey smile like that. Ian and Mickey both walked into an alley and out of Lip’s vision. Lip just stood there and stared for a while. The same second he had spotted his brother he knew that Ian was lost to Mickey again. Lip knew Ian was in for another heartbreak and couldn’t believe he would go there again. Mickey and Ian had been caught by Terry that one time and Mickey was married now. His wife was pregnant. What the hell was Ian thinking?

When Ian walked into his and Lip’s room Lip had been sitting on his bed with a whole speech prepared in his head. Instead he ended up yelling ugly things about Mickey and something about Ian’s complete lack of judgement. Ian had yelled back and screamed that Lip was such a hypocrite and how much he hated how Lip had treated Mandy. Lip yelled back that it was only because Ian “didn’t know the whole story”. Ian answered with “well you don’t know shit about me and Mickey either so stay the fuck out of my life” before walking out. Lip could hear the slamming of the front door. 

Ian had come back in the middle of the night smelling of beer and smoke. Lip had stayed awake that night and he could sense Ian was awake too. They didn’t say anything to each other the following two days. As the time for arrival grew nearer Ian, with his hands in his pockets, said to Lip to “have fun at school” and Lip had nodded with an uncertain smile and that was it.

Lip called Fiona to catch up on things almost daily the first two weeks at MIT. He liked it there and he guessed he was doing alright. He felt miserable though and it took him about a week to realise that he missed Ian terribly and he hated the way things had turned out between them. A couple of days later he was on the verge to call Ian’s cell just to hear his voice when Fiona had called Lip and said that Ian had moved away from home. Ian had told Fiona that he’d found a job at a construction site in Detroit and that he was going to move into an apartment there. He said that Mandy had a friend of a friend who had hooked Ian up on the job. He had everything planned. He was going to save as much money he could each month and send it back home. It was only about four hours away by train so he could come home and visit. Fiona didn’t like it but Ian had seemed like his old self again and despite, or maybe thanks to, being the strong person she was Fiona had crumbled. Ian had moved out about a week later. He’d called Fiona after a few days. He’d sounded happy. 

Lip was glad to hear the news and called Ian immediately, at least now they had something to talk about other than their disagreements about Mickey. Ian’s voice tensed upon hearing who it was on the other end. Lip put on an excited voice trying to compensate for Ian sounding almost like a stranger.

“I just talked to Fi and she told me about you moving away. How do you like living on your own?”

“Look Lip I have to tell you something. Uh, Mickey is here too. We share the apartment”

“You’re kidding right? You took off together?” Lip could feel his heart sink.

“Actually Mickey was here before me. I, uh, moved in with him”

“Okay, well that explains everything”

The silence that followed felt like an eternity.

“Uh, so how’s school?” Ian voice was tentative. 

“It’s alright. How’s work?”

“It’s okay. We’re both doing okay here. Mickey is working as a mechanic at a nearby garage. It’s good.”

“Where’s his wife?” Lip suddenly felt really tired.

“She left two months before Mickey moved here. He doesn’t know where she went. Her phone was and still is disconnected so…”

There was a long silence again. 

“Lip, I know you don’t like Mickey or us being together but…” Ian let out a deep sigh and then went silent. Maybe he was in lack of words or maybe he was just as tired as Lip. 

“Listen, Ian I’ve to go. You take care now you hear?”

“Yeah, you too”

It had now been almost five months since that phone call. Lip hadn’t spoken to Ian after that. He had wanted to but something had changed. He felt like he didn’t know his brother anymore or maybe he was just too proud to be the first one to reach out. He guessed Ian felt the same thing. Lip got occasional updates of Ian’s well being from Fiona. She said that Ian had visited them one weekend and he seemed fine. Fiona received money each month from him. It wasn’t much but it was still a life saver. Lip felt bad for not chipping in more to the family but Fiona assured him that they were doing okay. Mike had moved in with them and Fiona said he was a trooper for not running off yet. She sounded almost relaxed and Lip felt like a load was lifted from his shoulders. At least Fiona and the kids were doing well.

Lip almost jumped out of bed when his phone started vibrating on the table nearby. He’d set the phone on vibrate to not get startled if it rang while he was studying. Apparently he was so deep in his thoughts that this too caused him to jump. He reached for his phone, causing the textbook to slide of his lap onto the bed. He didn’t recognise the number on the screen but decided to answer. It was a welcome break from studying or thinking about stuff he shouldn’t be thinking about right now.

“Yeah?” Lip stood up and stretched out his back.

“Lip? This is Mickey” Lip froze on the floor in the middle of the room. He had never talked to Mickey on the phone before but that deep, edged voice was somehow all too familiar. It was definitely Mickey. Lip had thought of a millions things to say to him but there was only one thing that really mattered at this moment.

“Is Ian alright?” Lip suddenly went cold. Clearly Mickey wouldn’t be calling him without a valid reason. Just don’t let there be something wrong with Ian.

“Yeah, he is. But that’s why I’m calling. I think you should come here and see him. He misses you.”

“He told you that?” Lip‘s tone was more incredulous than surprised.

“Nah man, he doesn’t have to. You could tell from a mile away.” Mickey paused for a moment. It was a crackling sound in the background, it sounded like wind.

“Is Ian there? Can I talk to him for a bit?” Lip’s million things to say to Mickey were suddenly gone and Lip really wished his brother was on the line instead.

“I’m walking home from work right now. He will be home in about… half an hour. So will you come here and see him or what?”

“Maybe in a couple of months. I’m going to need to scrape up some money for the plane ticket.” At least that was the truth. Lip had a tiny sum but it would not get him to Detroit and back. At least if he wasn’t going to starve for the rest of the year. Trying to live an honest life without scamming for money truly was a bitch.

“Yeah, I figured you would say that. Look, I’ve some money saved so I can pay like half of the cost of the ticket.”

“Really, you would pay me to come and see Ian?” Lip was kind of stunned. He had not seen this coming at all.

“That’s what I was saying, right? So will you do it then?”

“I have to think about it. I call you in…”

“Will you quit stalling? You need to see your brother. You guys need to sort your shit out.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll do it. But only because I really want to see him, not because you want me to. I might be able to make it in a couple of months.” Lip really missed Ian but couldn’t believe he had agreed. Since when did he start to listen to Mickey?

“No, in three weeks. He has a couple of days off then”

“That’s too soon. I need to call Ian. We can figure out a date later on.”

“Fuck no. He doesn’t know about this. If you tell him he won’t shut up about it until you get here.”

“He doesn’t know about this? Come on Mickey. Just let us clear this out ourselves.”

“Yeah sure. ‘Cause that has really worked out fine up until now. You’re obviously both too stupid to do anything about this. In three weeks. Okay?” Mickey’s tone indicated that he wanted the whole conversation to be over with right there and there.

“Okay I’ll fix it somehow. If we’re not telling Ian about this you better call me in a couple of days or so.”

“Yeah and I need to know where to wire the money. I’ll call you.” 

“Hey Mickey, thanks for the money. It might take a while but I’m going to pay it back”. Lip felt weird saying it. Owing Mickey money? Wasn’t that really stupid?

“Yeah whatever” There was a crackling on the line and then Mickey hung up.

Lip opened the window in the small room, lit a cigarette and leaned out a bit in the cold air. The smoke filled his lungs and calmed him down a bit. Apparently he was going to Detroit.


	2. Chapter 2

The plane arrived in time at Detroit Metro Airport. It was the second time Lip had gone somewhere by plane. It was also the second time in his life he’d travelled anywhere. He hadn’t told Fiona where he was going, mainly because she might tell Ian about it and partly because she didn’t knew about Mickey. Lip thought he might slip and tell her about Ian and Mickey living together and that would probably not help his relationship with Ian at this point. 

He had gotten the address from Mickey and after a very short cab drive he stood outside the gloomy concrete building. He was supposed to go up to the second floor, but needed a moment before doing so. He just stood there for a while with the bag at his feet, staring at the building. It was early Friday afternoon. He knew Mickey was at work until four o’clock and that Ian had the day off. Lip hesitated a bit. He sat down on the curb, lit a cigarette and enjoyed the solitude for a bit. There were no people in sight. 

Lip wasn’t sure what shape he would find Ian in. What if he was in a really bad condition, doing drugs or whatever? He might be depressed? Mickey had told him on the phone that Ian was doing alright but who the hell would trust Mickey? Lip did have the intention to talk to Ian about all that had happened between the two of them. He had thought about that over and over in his head. What he didn’t have was a backup plan for a more forced intervention, drug rehab or something like that. 

Lip stood up and picked up his bag, it weighed practically nothing. He walked towards the house and up the stairs. He had no trouble finding the right door and knocked on it before he could change his mind. He heard footsteps from inside and then rattling of the locks. The door opened and there was Ian. A very surprised Ian. He stared at Lip in disbelief for a moment. 

“What are you doing here?” Ian stared at Lip for what felt like an hour before he opened the door further and motioned for Lip to come in. 

“I was in the neighbourhood.” Lip stepped into the small hallway. Lip looked at his brother and relaxed a little for the first time since he arrived. Ian looked healthy. He seemed a bit taller since the last time Lip saw him. Ian’s hair was a bit longer than the buzz cut he used to have. Ian looked back at his brother and smiled a little uncertainly. They didn’t hug.

“I had no idea you even knew my address. Does that mean you’re on speaking terms with Mandy?” Ian looked somewhat hopeful.

“Actually it’s Mickey who arranged this. He paid half of the plane ticket here.” Lip put down his bag on the floor. 

“He did what?” Ian was staring at Lip in disbelief again. He looked even more surprised than he’d been seeing Lip on his doorstep. 

“Yeah, he called me about three weeks ago and wanted me to come here and see you.” Lip had to look up a little at his brother so ,yeah, Ian was definitely taller than before.

“So that’s why he’s been acting so weird. I knew it was something going on.” Ian shook his head a little and smiled for real this time. Lip couldn’t even remember the last time he’d seen him smile like that. It was worth coming here just to see that.

“Mickey said I could stay here for the weekend. I hope that’s okay with you?” Lip glanced at his brother who was still smiling.

“Of course. Hope you like sleeping on the couch. I can assure you that it’s much more comfortable than it looks. Come on in.” 

Lip pulled off his shoes and put them on the nearly empty shoe rack by the door. He almost tripped over some shoes scattered on the floor while following Ian into the kitchen.

“Sorry, I still have the habit of kicking off my shoes everywhere. If it makes you feel any better it drives Mickey nuts.” Ian shoved the shoes to the side using his foot. He had a sheepish grin on his face.

“I remember it drove Fiona crazy too.” Lip smiled a little at the memory.

He looked around the one bedroom apartment while Ian got beer for them from the fridge. It was a small apartment but not at all the dump Lip had imagined. The kitchen was small but there was enough room for a table and two chairs. Lip noticed the table had stacks of car magazines on it. Ian said Mickey use to borrow them from work and spread them out all over the place. The bathroom and the bedroom lay straight ahead from the hallway. The living room was quite large and had a big, ugly couch in the middle of it. There was a small TV and a DVD player on a wooden box in front of the couch. Another wooden box functioned as a coffee table. Lip told his brother that he liked the apartment because amazingly enough he did. Ian smiled and said that he liked it too. 

They ended up on the couch with the beers in their hands. Lip asked his brother how this whole moving to Detroit had happened. Ian asked him if he wanted the long or the short version. Lip said he would probably need to hear the long one.

“When I started working at Kash and Grab again after I got home from juvie Mickey started to show up there. We began talking and eventually we sort of got back to where we were before Mickey got married. Don’t ask me how it happened because I’m not sure myself. All I know is that I had some time to think in juvie, about what I really wanted. I think I needed that.” Ian was looking down on the couch while speaking. 

“I only saw Svetlana once. She was gone a lot, working I guess. One night Mickey got beaten up really badly by his dad. I found Mickey later on the rooftop. I have never seen him in that bad shape before. Apparently Svetlana had found Terry’s secret stash of money and taken off with it. Mickey didn’t know about it until Terry started screaming and hitting him like crazy. Terry thought Mickey had given Svetlana the money and then kicked her out. He threatened to kill Mickey if he showed his face there again. Mickey couldn’t go home again after that, mainly because he was forbidden to by me and Mandy. Mandy and I brought him stuff up to the rooftop. He slept there. I remember being really grateful for it being summer. I don’t know how we would have solved it otherwise. He refused to come to my place.” Ian took a swig from his beer before continuing. 

“Mandy talked to Iggy who has a friend of a friend who knows Tony. Tony is the guy who owns the garage where Mickey now works. It was kind of a long shot but the guy who used to work for Tony had gotten a prison sentence. Iggy swore that Mickey was some kind of a car genius so Tony agreed to hire him. Mickey didn’t want to leave but Mandy and I was terrified that Terry would find him and kill him. I think he eventually agreed to go because of us. Mickey had to live in the backroom of the garage the first two weeks before he found a really shitty little studio. It was the one he had when I moved here. We moved into this one three months ago. We almost didn’t get it because we both have records. Tony had to vouch for us.” Ian glanced up at Lip.

“Jesus, that’s a lot to take in” Lip had been listening so intensely that he’d almost forgotten about the beer in his hand. “How did you get here then?”

“Mickey and I were calling each other almost every day. It was strange that he was suddenly here and not in Chicago anymore you know? I remember calling him at one time and that I was chatting away about something and Mickey suddenly went “So, when are you moving here?” Ian smiled at the memory.

“I think I can guess what you answered” Lip took several big gulps from his beer. It was lukewarm.

“I asked him to give me two weeks. Tony actually pulled some strings for me and I got work on a construction site where his buddy works. I got lucky. And that’s the whole story, I guess.” Ian took a swig of his beer and wiped his mouth with his hand.

Lip just finished his beer when suddenly he heard the sound of keys at the front door. Before he could even react Ian was up and off the couch in one fluent motion, telling Lip it was Mickey and that Ian would “be right back”. Lip stood up too and came to stand a little awkwardly beside the couch holding the empty beer in his hand. He could see Ian’s back in the reflection in the mirror in the hallway. He was hugging Mickey. Lip barely saw Mickey in the embrace but he saw his hand running up Ian’s back, the tattoos on his fingers clearly visible. Lip registered some of what they were saying. He heard Ian saying “I can’t believe you did this. Thank you” and Mickey mumbling something in response. Lip pretended not to hear the sound of them kissing. He could hear them laughing though and Mickey saying “Good” and then “Where’s that brother of yours?”

Lip instinctively stood up a little straighter as Mickey walked into the living room. Ian lingered behind him beaming like a really important person just entered the room and not just Mickey. Mickey looked pretty much the same except that he had on even dirtier clothes than Lip remembered from back home. His jeans and t-shirt were covered in what looked like oil stains and he had some black smudge on his arms. Mickey put his chin up and nodded his hello. Lip nodded back because he could think of nothing else to do. He considered drinking from his empty beer can when Mickey broke the silence.

“So Lip, how’s school? Gotten kicked out yet?” There was a faint smile on Mickey’s lips which Lip could have lived without.

“Not yet. How’s work? You steal the cars before or after you fix ‘em up? Lip could see how Mickey was about to answer but when Ian came up beside him and put his arm around Mickey’s shoulders he seemed to relax a little. Mickey licked his lips but said nothing. Lip suddenly became very aware of the height difference between the guys in front of him. It looked like Ian could just pick Mickey up and carry him away and, yeah, Lip really wished he would right now. 

“Guys, come on. Can you at least pretend to behave? I like having you both around so can you try not to kill each other?” Ian said it jokingly but Lip could tell he meant it. By the look on Mickey’s face Lip was quite sure Mickey got it too.

“Well, I’m gonna take a shower.” Mickey moved from under Ian’s arm. He brushed by Ian, his hand stroking over Ian’s hip and upwards along his side ever so briefly. It lasted for only a second but it was a reassuring touch, like it was saying “don’t worry”. Ian glanced at Mickey as he walked pass him and smiled a little. When Mickey disappeared into the bathroom and closed the door Lip couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh. 

“I see Mickey is the same.” It was not a compliment. Lip could still feel the tension in the air.

“Yeah, I guess he is. You are too by the way.” Ian said it over his shoulder as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Okay, there’s basically nothing in here. I’m thinking we order pizza. You up for that?”

They ate in silence in front of the TV watching some Jason Statham movie which happened to be on. Ian sat between Mickey and Lip because where else would he be? Lip was still a little confused about Mickey’s transformation. Coming out from the shower with damp hair and with clean clothes on Mickey looked different. He looked almost…good. 

When the movie had ended, all the pizza were eaten and the guys had tried to outmatch each other in burping Ian cleared his throat.

“Look, I’ve been thinking…” Ian drummed his fingers on his thighs while he spoke.

“Oh shit” Mickey muttered from the end of the couch.

“Why don’t you two spend some time together without me? Get to know each other a little? You already have me in common and you both like me, right?” Ian glanced from Mickey to Lip with an expectant look on his face.

“I’m not so sure about that right now” Mickey said incredulously.

“Yeah, me neither” Lip whished Ian had been thinking of something else. Anything but not this. 

“Well that’s good. You’ll have that in common then. You can talk about how much you dislike me. As long as you talk and don’t end up in a fistfight I’ll be happy. Okay?” Ian sounded like he’d already made up his mind and that saying no was not an option.

Lip and Mickey just gazed at Ian and said nothing.

“Listen, you’ve work tomorrow Mickey but I’m thinking you and Lip can go to the bar afterwards?” Ian turned to Lip. “By the way, the beer is really good there.” 

“Is he paying?” Mickey addressed to Lip, seemingly warming up to the idea. Lip was not into it at all, but when he saw Ian’s pleading look he felt he had to cave in. After all, he was going to talk to Ian tomorrow when Mickey was at work. Maybe things were going to be different by then. 

“Yeah okay, I’m paying.” Lip could see how happy that made Ian because he was suddenly all smiles. 

“Good, it’s settled then. Just so you know, if you chicken out tomorrow I’ll kick both of your asses.” Ian looked so pleased with himself that it earned him a punch on the arm from Mickey. Although it didn’t stop Ian from smiling even more. 

They settled upon watching the latest Bourne movie because that was the only one they could find that none of them had already seen. Ian moved closer and closer to Mickey until halfway into the movie he fell asleep on his shoulder. He had his long legs curled up on the couch and his arms folded in his lap. Mickey rested his hand on Ian’s knee but otherwise he didn’t move. It looked like they had done this before. 

“Has he started snoring yet?” Lips offered just to say something, getting the feeling none of them were actually watching the movie anymore. 

“Not yet. He always falls asleep like this though. When he wakes up he forces you to tell him how the movie ends.” Mickey muttered but kept his voice low as not to wake Ian.

When the movie ended it was late and Lip started to feel how tired he was. He got up to get his bag in the hallway. When he got back to the living room he could hear Mickey speaking to Ian. It sounded soft which Lip thought was impossible coming from Mickey. 

“Hey sleepy head, you need to wake up” Mickey shook Ian’s knee gently.

“Okay” Ian mumbled, curled up closer and threw his arm around Mickey’s waist. 

“That means you have to get up. Your brother needs the couch.” Mickey shoved at Ian a little more roughly this time. 

“Oh right” Ian sat up, moved off the couch and stood up. He stretched his arms up in the air and yawned. “I’m going to get you a pillow and a blanket and stuff. I’ll be right back” Ian followed Mickey who was already halfway out of the room.

“Hey, how did the movie end?” Ian asked, still yawning.

Mickey turned around in the doorway with the hint of a smile playing on his lips. 

“See what I’m talking about here?” He was addressing Lip.

“Yeah, I do.” Maybe it was because Lip was really tired but he actually responded with a smile.

“What?” Ian glanced at them both with a confused look on his face.

“I tell you later. Now come on.”

After eventually saying good night, Lip was half asleep on the couch. He could hear mumbling from the bedroom and some laughter now and then. At one point he didn’t recognise Ian’s laughter until he realised it was coming from Mickey. He hadn’t heard Mickey laughing like that before. It was actually a pretty good sound to fall asleep to. And Ian was right. The couch was comfortable.


	3. Chapter 3

The following morning Lip woke up quite late. He found Ian in the kitchen eating breakfast.

“Did you sleep well?” Ian glanced up from the magazine he was reading. He looked like he had just woken up, his hair sticking up in all directions.

“Yeah I did. So when did Mickey leave for work?” Lip yawned and scratched his head.

“Around 6:45. You want some eggs?” Ian pointed at the frying pan on the stove.

They ate in silence. Lip flipped through some of the car magazines and then surprised himself by offering to help out with the dishes but Ian urged him not to. Ian got up and cleared the table himself.

“So, do you miss home?” Lip glanced at Ian who was now scrubbing away at a plate.

“Sometimes. You?” Ian wiped away some water droplets that had landed on his face with the help of his shoulder. 

“Yeah I do too sometimes. Fiona and the kids seem to be doing well though. Have you met that Mike guy by the way?” Lip closed the magazine in front of him.

“I did that time when I went home to visit. He seemed okay. Liam likes him a lot.” Ian rinsed the plate, put it to the side on a towel and started on the next one.

“Have you thought about telling Fiona about you and Mickey living together?” Lip could see Ian’s shoulders tensing up a little.

“Yeah I have but I never seem to find the right moment. I will though. It felt somehow easier to tell you about it. But that didn’t exactly turn out well” Ian put the other plate away.

“It was not my favourite moment either. That time I said you could find someone better I actually meant it. I still think you deserve better but I know you don’t like me saying that.” Lip knew he was walking onto thin ice but once again he couldn’t stop himself. 

“I don’t dislike it, I fucking hate it. I hate having to defend Mickey from someone who is completely blind. You don’t know him at all but you make all these shitty assumptions about him.” Ian’s tone was harsh.

“Assumptions that I have made from all the times he’s hurt you. I think you’re the one who’s blind here. What is there to know anyway? I already know he’s a jerk.” Lip felt his fists clenching.

“If you want to sort things out between you and me you have change your mind about Mickey. If you’re hoping I’m going to break it off with him to make you happy you better pack up and leave because that’s not going to happen. I didn’t like Karen but I never let that come between us like this.” Ian had stopped with the dishes. He turned around, leaned his back against the counter and crossed his arms.

“Okay I will talk to Mickey. I hate this too, you know. I wish I could just let it go but I don’t like the guy and I hate how he’s treated you.” Lip gazed at his brother.

“Mickey is not so thrilled about you either right now because of Mandy but he still invited you here. I think that says a lot about who he is.” Ian stared back at Lip.

“Unless he’s planned to kill me or something.” Lip muttered to himself. Ian didn’t seem to hear him. 

“The thing is that I think you would actually like him if you gave him the chance.” Ian turned his back on Lip again and continued with the dishes.

Mickey came home a couple of hours later, almost as dirty as the day before. There was still that complete change in appearance after he had a shower though. Lip thought he might never get used to seeing Mickey cleaned up. 

They ate sandwiches in front of the TV before Ian said Mickey and Lip really should be get going. Lip had hoped Ian had forgotten all about it but of course he hadn’t. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to come with us? I mean, what are you going to do here all by yourself?” Lip glanced at Ian with a hopeful look on his face. 

“I’m going to enjoy taking up the whole couch and hogging the remote” Ian answered and leaned back on the couch like he couldn’t wait. 

“And how exactly is that different from any other night?” Mickey looked at Ian and failed to suppress a smile when Ian cuffed him over the head.

Ian followed them out into the hallway with a small smile playing on his lips. He seemed to sense the sudden uneasiness in the air though. He looked at Lip and gave him an encouraging smile.

“Don’t forget there are a few ground rules before you take Mickey out. Don’t talk to another guy for too long because he will get pissed. Don’t poor water on him and whatever you do, don’t feed him after midnight.” Ian was grinning, now mostly directed at Mickey.

“Jesus” Mickey muttered from where he was pulling on his shoes. “Let’s go Lip. He’s hopeless when he gets like this. Come on. Move.” Mickey was almost halfway down the stairs when Lip walked out of the door and followed him. 

“You get jealous Mickey?” Lip asked when he finally caught up to him. 

“No and you better change the subject because I’m already regretting this. Shit, I forgot my keys.” Mickey turned around and walked quickly back up the stairs. Lip looked up and saw that Ian already had opened the front door and was dangling the keys in the opening like he was feeding a wild animal. When Mickey tried to snatch them from him Ian pulled both the keys and Mickey inside. About half a minute and some muffled laughter later Mickey came back smiling and licking his lips. He put the keys in his pocket and followed Lip outside. 

The bar was called “Louise’s” and was only a short walk away. Lip and Mickey managed to finish about two cigarettes each before getting there. It was a small bar and there were only a handful of people there. They all looked old and somewhat worn out. A few of them nodded their hello when they saw Mickey. The woman at the bar had grey hair and looked to be in her sixties. She smiled at them when they approached the bar. 

“Hey there Mickey. Where’s Ian? I didn’t think I would ever see you here without him.” Lip thought the woman actually seemed genuinely happy to see Mickey. He wondered if he had just entered some strange universe where people didn’t find Mickey to be a terrible person. The woman seemed nice enough though. She looked comfortable standing there behind the counter. 

“He’s at home. This is his brother Lip” Mickey nodded his head towards Lip and sat down at the counter. Lip sat down beside him and smiled at the woman.

“Oh really? Nice to meet you Lip. I’m Louise and I own this bar. What can I get for you?”

The beer happened to be the best Lip had had for a long time. He gulped it down quickly, thirsty as he was from eating pizza. Louise poured him another one and placed it in front of him. 

“I like Ian you know. He’s a really sweet kid. I actually learn my best dirty jokes from him. This one though” she turned to Mickey” he’s one of the biggest sweethearts I know” she said and winked at Mickey. Lip just stared at her in total disbelief. Surely Louise was kidding but saying something like that could never go unpunished. But Mickey just shook his head and said that he “need to take a piss and that Lip shouldn’t listen to a word she says” and walked off. 

“Did you just call him a sweetheart? I must say that you’re brave. Sweetheart is not a word I would use for him.” Lip raised his glass of beer towards Louise before he took a swig of it.

“You know, I’ve worked in this bar for almost 32 years and I think I know people quite well from the first impression. When Mickey first walked in here I thought he was going to cause me trouble. But then I saw the way he looks at Ian and how his tone of voice changes ever so slightly when Ian is mentioned. A guy looking so head over heels for someone can’t be a bad person. The first impression I got from Mickey went flying out the window. It nice to be wrong about people sometimes is it not?” She smiled at Lip before walking over to a guy waving at her from the far end of the counter. 

Lip got lost in his thoughts for a while and almost jumped when Mickey sat down beside him and took a big gulp from his beer. They said nothing for a while.

“So shoot.” Mickey slowly spun the glass of beer in front of him with his hand, not looking up.

“What?” Lip took a swig of his beer and wiped his mouth with his hand. 

“I know you have stuff you want to say so just go ahead” Mickey glanced up at Lip with an unreadable look. Lip had expected there to be some defiance in Mickey’s eyes but he found none. He saw a hint of tension there though.

“Well okay I do actually. If you care about my brother why did you get married?” Lip looked sternly at Mickey.

“Have you met my dad? Being married doesn’t mean shit to me other than to get my dad off our backs.” Mickey shrugged a little and took another swig of his beer.

“I know Ian doesn’t see it that way. He took off because of you and ended up in juvie. I think he took the fall for what you did to him.” Lip could see how Mickey tensed up from his words.

“I think you should give him more credit than that. He can think for himself you know. It’s not that I told him to go join the fucking army and I’m sure he knows that by now.” Mickey met Lip’s eyes and, yeah, Lip could definitely see some defiance there now.

“But what about your wife? Ian has told me some of what happened but she was pregnant with your kid right? So now you have a wife and kid off somewhere?” Lip still looked sternly at Mickey.

“Yeah, she told me she thought the kid was mine. I’ve called her a dozen times since she left but her phone is disconnected. I’m pretty sure she went back to Russia. She talked a lot in Russian over the phone the last couple of weeks. Can’t blame her for leaving though. Dad couldn’t exactly keep his hands to himself.” Mickey shrugged and for the first time Lip could feel a little sympathy for him. Frank was a horrible dad but he was not nearly as bad as Terry.

“And Mandy? Is she still living in that house?” Lip hadn’t planned on bringing her up but he amazed himself by really wanting to know.

“No she has moved out. She started seeing Spider a couple of months after you broke up. She has moved in with him now. He’s a major junkie but at least he’s better than the asshole she dated before him.” Mickey glanced at Lip with a challenging look on his face.

“Hey thanks.” Lip tilted his now nearly empty beer glass a little towards Mickey as a mock salute.

“You’re welcome.” Mickey nodded a little in response.

“So are you going to drag me outside and beat me to death for breaking up with Mandy?” Lip braced himself because he wasn’t really kidding with the question.

“Nah you’re off the hook this time.” Mickey looked somewhat disappointed at the statement. He finished the last of his beer with one big gulp.

“Something tells me you want to. What’s stopping you?” Lip thought he must be stupid for pushing it but, hey, just let everything out.

“What do you think? Your brother wouldn’t exactly like it if I hit you.” Mickey ran his finger over the mist covering his glass, drawing an imaginative pattern. 

“I’m not so sure about that. I think he’s pretty pissed with me.”

“I don’t think so. You are still his fucking hero but you’re both too stubborn and stupid to sort out the shit between you. You should be talking to him and not me right now.”

“He wants me to get to know you.” Lip glanced at Mickey.

“Yeah, that sounds like him. Not sure there is much to know though.”

“Yeah, that’s what I told him.” Lip almost hunched down on his stool waiting for Mickey’s reaction.

“Oh yeah? I guess we do agree on something.” Mickey was actually smiling. It wasn’t that sarcastic sneer Lip remembered from back home. This was genuine and quite contagious. Lip couldn’t help but to grin back at him. 

Perhaps it was the all the tension suddenly evaporating or all the beer they’ve had but things did start to feel a lot better. Lip realised he could actually talk to Mickey and after some more beer they ended up talking about old memories from back home. They had quite a lot of shared crazy experience from the South Side and talking about it caused them both to occasionally burst out laughing. Lip had to admit that Mickey could be a lot of fun. He was a good listener and he had this weird sense of humour which Lip liked. He wasn’t quite as intimidating to Lip anymore either. 

“You know I used to be really scared of you back then.” Lip leaned his forehead in his hands, elbows up on the countertop.

“Well you kinda freaked me out too. Still do in a way I guess.” Mickey glanced over at Lip.

“And why is that?” Lip looked back at Mickey.

“Ian listens to you. That is scary as hell.” Mickey rubbed his lower lip with his thumb and glanced sideways at Lip.

“Tell you what, I think we should make a deal about this right here and now. I’ll back off and try to accept that you have a relationship with my brother if you promise not mess with him. I don’t want him to get hurt. Do we have a deal?” Lip turned to face Mickey.

“Yeah, we do. And for the record, it has never been my intention to hurt him.” And with that Mickey stood up and pulled up the zipper on his hoodie, suggesting it was time to leave. Lip paid for the beer and both boys nodded their goodbyes to Louise who smiled at them as they left.

It was quite cold outside as they walked side by side along the sidewalk.

“How far away is the place where you work?” Lip asked feeling a bit curious about the garage.

“It’s about two blocks that way.” Mickey pointed down an alley.

“Can I see it?” Lip lit a cigarette and took a deep drag of it.


	4. Chapter 4

The garage was bigger than Lip had imagined. When Mickey unlocked the door and turned on the lights Lip could see five old cars parked in the large space. Two of the cars were up on lifts. There were a lot of big tool cupboards along the walls and a small office in the corner. The place looked rather tidy except for a few tools scattered on the floor below a Pontiac and a Camaro. Mickey told Lip that they only worked on older cars. Tony didn’t like modern ones which he claimed were basically moving computers without souls. Lip could tell that Mickey liked both his work and his boss Tony.

“So does Tony know about, uhm, you and Ian?” Lip walked around and admired the red Trans Am which currently had no wheels on. 

“Yeah he does.” Mickey picked up some of the tools from the floor and threw them into a nearby tool box. The tools landed with a loud echoing sound.

“You told him?” Lip stopped in his tracks for a bit before walking over to the Camaro.

“Nah he figured it out himself. Ian came by here once and afterwards Tony said he could tell by the way we looked at each other or some shit like that.” Mickey walked over to a sixth car Lip hadn’t seen as it was somewhat invisible parked in a corner. The car had a sheet cover over it which Mickey removed.

“Is he okay with it?” Lip walked over to Mickey and saw that it was a rusty old black Mustang hiding under the cover. 

“Yeah he is. Ian use to come by here sometimes. He sits on that chair over there and tells us really lame jokes until we beg him to go home.” Mickey tried to hide the hint of a smile that played on his lips but failed. He popped the hood on the Mustang and started fiddling with something that Lip couldn’t see.

“This is supposed to be Ian’s car some day”. Mickey didn’t look up from what he was doing.

“What? You bought him a car?” Lip stared at Mickey in pure amazement.

“Fuck no, like I could afford that. Tony thinks I need a project so he’s offered me this car if I can get it running. It’s a matching numbers car so that’s pretty cool but it’s in really bad shape.” Mickey closed the hood with a loud bang.

“It’s a really nice car Mickey. Does Ian know about it?” Lip studied the rusty car and noticed that it lacked most of the interior except for the steering wheel.

“No he doesn’t. Mostly because it will probably take me forever to fix it. I’m not even sure it will ever run.” Mickey started pulling on the sheet cover again.

“Ian told me a long time ago that he’d always wanted a Mustang.” Lip walked around the car and helped Mickey put the cover on.

“Yeah I know. You think he’s gonna let me drive if I give it to him?” Mickey walked towards the door with Lip lingering behind.

“I wouldn’t bet on it.” Lip followed Mickey who turned off the lights. He walked through the door and closed it. The keys rustled loudly into the cold night when Mickey locked the door behind them.

They walked home in comfortable silence. Lip liked that Mickey hadn’t yet asked him to keep quiet about the car. It was like an unspoken thing between them. It might even be that Mickey trusted Lip with a secret.

They entered the apartment as quietly as possible in case Ian was asleep. He wasn’t though. He was leaning against the doorframe leading to the kitchen as they were kicking off their shoes. Ian had his hands in his pockets and looked a bit anxious. He studied them both closely. Lip thought Ian looked young and almost shy.

“So, did you have fun?” Ian said it casually but Lip knew he was worried about the answer.

“Yeah, it’s all good” Lip smiled at Ian who seemed to relax a little. 

Mickey said nothing but walked over to Ian, put his hand on Ian’s lower abdomen and kissed him quickly on his shoulder before disappearing into the kitchen. Ian smiled like he’d just won the lottery. His ears turned a little red when he met Lip’s glance. 

“I have realised you were right.” Lip both sounded and looked dead serious.

“So you agree with me then?” Ian didn’t break eye contact with his brother.

“Yeah I do. You were totally right about the beer. Best I ever had.” Lip tried to dodge Ian’s playful punch but didn’t quite make it and the two of them wrestled to the floor. Ian managed to get Lip in a headlock until he finally surrendered. They eventually stood up panting with laughter. Mickey came out of the kitchen with a bag of chips in his hand and a bored look on his face. He looked even more bored when he saw the happy faces of Ian and Lip. Mickey sauntered by them heading for the living room but he scurried away and made a leap for the couch when Ian threatened to snatch the bag of chips out of his hand. 

They watched some episodes of Family Guy until their eyelids became heavy. Ian shot Lip a significant look when Mickey reached over Ian and offered Lip some chips before Ian even got the chance to eat any. 

Lip had quite an early flight the following morning so Mickey practically dragged Ian out of the couch so he wouldn’t fall asleep on it. Lip was awake for about two seconds after he lay down on the couch. This time he didn’t hear the low mumbling and the occasional laughter from the bedroom. And of course, he didn’t know that Mickey moved closer to Ian and buried his face against Ian’s neck because he smell so fucking good there. And that Ian eventually stopped talking and got all warm inside when he realised that Mickey had fallen asleep on his shoulder, small puffs of hot breath tickling his skin.


	5. Chapter 5

Both Ian and Mickey followed Lip to the airport in the morning although he told them they didn’t have to. They stopped at a shop near the airport so Lip could buy some candy and a magazine. When he stood in line to pay for the items he saw Mickey pointing something out to Ian in a magazine that was either about porn or about tattoos. Either way, Ian just smiled at Mickey and shook his head.

It was crowded at the airport and long queues everywhere but Lip didn’t have to wait long to check in. They said their goodbyes before Lip continued to the security area. Ian had his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor. 

“I’m really glad you came.” Ian glanced up at Lip and smiled.

“Yeah, me too.” Lip smiled back at him.

“Call me when you land.” Ian took a step forward and hugged Lip. Lip hugged him tightly and felt his heart sting a little. They parted and Lip hauled his bag over his shoulder. 

“Hey Mickey. Thanks!” Lip looked over at Mickey who was standing a few steps behind Ian. Lip didn’t make an approach to hug him because he was pretty sure only Ian and perhaps Mandy were entitled to do that. Mickey nodded back to Lip with a hint of a smile. Lip thought for a while that he might tell Mickey to take care of his brother but he knew by now that it was unnecessary. 

Lip was exhausted when he finally arrived at his dorm room about five hours later. He wasn’t used to travel and it felt like he had been gone for weeks. He threw his bag on the floor and sat down on the bed. The maths textbook lay on the nightstand beside him. He glanced at it before he picked up the phone and called Ian. He answered at the first ring. 

“Hi. Was the plane ride okay?” Ian sounded like his old self. The one Lip used to share his room with. 

“Yeah. I’m back at my room now with the maths book staring at me.” Lip rubbed his forehead with his hand.

“Well school is fun.” Lip could hear that Ian was smiling. There was a sudden crackle on the line and some mumbling in the background. 

“Mickey says hi.” Ian’s tone was cheerful. 

“Well, tell him I said hi too. So what are you two up to?” Lip could visualize the two of them sitting on the couch and argue over the remote.

“Not much, just watching TV. It was really nice having you here. Maybe I can come visit you sometime? I would really like to see your school.” Ian sounded relaxed and not tentative at all. Lip liked that.

“Yeah, that would be cool. Mickey can come too if he wants to.” Lip could hear Ian draw a breath.

“He can? You would be okay with that?” Ian sounded incredulous.

“Yeah I would.” Lip was as sincere as he’d ever been.

They decided to call each other again the following day, said goodbye and hung up. Lip lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. Things had definitely gotten better lately and despite the fact that he was tired as hell he felt happier than he’d been in a very long time. Heck, maybe even happier than he’d ever been before. He smiled to himself and said out loud:

“Yeah, Mickey can come too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Feedback is highly appreciated.


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